Kiwibirdman

On 28/03/2024 at 12:14, Nominal said:

There was this anglebox at BH, had an MX5 engine, I wondered if it was body swapped on an MX5 floorpan

Yes it is MX5 swapped. That guy just bought an escort off a mate of mine to do the same thing to. Apparently he has a Mk1 Cortina done as well. Wants the whole set.

1 hour ago, yoeddynz said:

You did well @Kiwibirdman. You answered all 18 questions! 

Perfect topic for a H series Holden Barry like me.

43 minutes ago, chris r said:

how you/brother/dad/uncle/cousin/mate used to have one

Had had a nice hq wagon then wrote it off on the motorway 

 

- why my mrs is now tougher and cooler than me

Your both a catch xo

- why big Australian cars with a mix of metric and imperial fasteners are better than silly little European ones that only use metric ( i had to dig out my very limited and mismatched Imperial sockets and wrenches that had been banished to the back of bottom draw of the tool box and put them right in the top bit )

Adjustable spanner doesn't care about metric or imperial 

- where to get new parts easily/cheaply/locally

 

Ebay has been pretty good for stuff if you are patient 

 

- why the second hand stuff on FBMP is outrageously priced and clearly owned by meth head bogans and how to avoid them 

 

 

- tips and tricks for hotting up your 173 using OEM + parts (commie inlet and exhaust manifolds? - the single stromberg and right angled log exhaust manifold offends me!))

Nah m8 get a set of flows and str8frew exhaust and it'll go like a cut cat that's had three of its legs cut off 

 

- can you bolt a 202 to the Torana 4 speed?

Probably 

- where to find a nice 202. 

 

 

- why do i even want a 202 (re-rego mainly), the 173 is probably perfectly fine, KPie doesnt really care (unless its a v8), and it wont be the engine from the Torana any more, 

They are all bags of hammers 

- where the fuck is the fill port for the CNG system on this car? (its not behind the number plate with the petrol filler) 

First to answer the questions. All 6 cylinder Holden motors share the same bell housing pattern, so swapping the 173 for a 202 of any vintage is a bolt in.

The CNG fill port is under the bonnet as part of the pipe work. I had an HJ ex taxi on CNG and my grand father had his Austin Princess converted back in the day. The all filled under the bonnet, LPG had the remote filler.

My first Holden was HQ sedan, 202 and factory Tbar auto and bucket seats. Pretty flash in the day. That got a 253 swapped in one weekend when the 202 and auto got worn out.

Also had HQ ute, 308 and auto, would run mid 14s down the strip, HJ ex taxi, HX wagon, HZ sedan. Awesome vehicles, wish I still had the last HZ.

My step father had a HQ wagon that got a celica 5 speed. I also put power steering in it. Good car to drive.

Power steering is possibly one of the best upgrades to make them nice to drive.

4 hours ago, Ned said:

Yeah, but you got to drive a P100D so you know what it's all about haha

I have driven one, only took 500 metres for the back seat passengers to go white. 

Hellishly fast and completely soul less.

My one line evaluation, The sports sedan for the IT geek who wants to show off how much money he has. 

I bought eldest son a VY Calias last year with 215000 ks on the clock. Its the standard ecotec V6, goes well and good on gas. Awesome car for not much money.

Had a couple of stupid electrical issues caused by corroded terminals. I'm amazed for the milage is has no rattles or squeaks. 

He complains I've done more miles in it than he has. I wouldn't mind a V8 one, just can't get more cars past SWMBO.

1 hour ago, dmulally said:

I wonder if having under 100l per 100km made the sales brochure at the time. 

Probably not, 159hp@2100rpm and 534ft-lb of torque at 800rpm would have. Kind of sounds like a diesel with those sort of power and torque figures at those RPM.

According to the google it had a 610 litre tank and had about 640km of range.

I have had stuff done by diffsrus and always been very happy. I sent a mate to diff specs and he was very happy as well. 

48 minutes ago, cubastreet said:

Electric house truck/bus would be good. Cover the roof in PV panels,  drive until the battery runs out, park up until it's full again.

The Canadian Edison truck type conversion would be the go, Diesel electric hybrid. There is no reason why the panels on the roof couldn't be wired into the batteries to help has range extenders. 

The scimitar is pretty light to start with, under 1200kg, so even with a standard alloytec that car is going to fly,

Mate had one of these back in the late 80's. Went pretty well with the heavy old essex v6. Should be a weapon with the Alloytec, and a fair bit lighter.

Weekend just gone did the East Cape trip with a mate. I was on the Trumpy 865 Speed Master and matey was on a 114 Harley. Day one Auckland, Mt Maunganui, Hicks Bay. Day 2 Hicks Bay, Gisbourne, Opotiki, Tauranga, Whangamata. Day 3 Whangamata, Kaiaua, Clevedon, Home. 1260km.

Awesome ride, the roads around East Cape were challenging due to the works from last years floods. The scenery is amazing, especially on the Gisbourne to Opotiki stretch. 

Bike never missed a beat, only one exciting bit, must have aquaplaned the back tire at about 100 kicks in the rain on Saturday, revs came up and bike started to go sideways. Got off the power and kept it upright, definitely got the heart rate up.

Would fully recommend the trip.

I wouldn't count on the VIN in carjam being right. Plenty of mix ups when cars got registered years ago. Not too hard to see a badly written 8 being turned into a 5. 

49 minutes ago, jessemk2 said:

The hole in the bonnet feeds it

I stand corrected. Only the early V8s didn't get the intercooler. Massive 150hp

28 minutes ago, Vintage Grumble said:

What's the difference? Ones a single T and the others a double or summin? Do they de-tune the 70 to make it more reliable? A mate has a 200 that he's tickled up a bit, sure is fast for a flat on wheels.

Big difference in HP, 70 series is designed to last for ever with single turbo and no intercooler, 200 is twin turbos and intercooled. 

From the classic industries site

Cool car, I am jealous.

It is definitely not a 1975, it has the big back window which came out in 1976. You can decode the year of the car from the VIN number which is on the top of the dashboard, there are web sites where you can put the number in and it will decode. 

The great thing about 2 gen F-Bodies is just about everything is available for them. I have bought a lot of stuff from Classic Industries for my 1st Gen.

Looking forward to watching the build. 

Thinking about going the v8 route, something that I have thought about a few times in an HC, there are a few options. Rover 3500, Small Block Chev, 308 Holden, Chev LS

They were sold in South Africa with a 302 chev as a Chevrolet Can Am. A weapon from my research.

I like the 308 holden, especially the late injected ones, as they are a RH drive motor so more space on the drivers side.

I have been led to believe an LC/LJ torana front end bolts into the cross member holes with a simple pick up for the rear mounts that a viva doesnt have (There is a HB viva wagon around with a LJ torana front grafted on, all the body lines line up). That would sort most of the front issues, HQ Holden rotors with HZ calipers can be made to fit easily. Good luck finding one.

Almost anything decent will require some surgery on the trans tunnel, and possibly the firewall. And some sort of stronger diff, Hi Lux might be narrow enough.

My mum bought one new in 1973 and I have always like the shape, They just need some decent wheels and more horse power.

Always happy to help others spend silly amounts of money and all their spare time.

23 hours ago, cletus said:

New springs that are a bit stiffer to cope with less travel, some good shocks and maybe some clever trimming of the bumpstop might get it to a point where it looks the same but drives much better

 

Is it 2wd or 4wd?

That is the plan. Its a 2wd. 

27 minutes ago, cletus said:

Usually just checked with them fitted. 

Belltech usually are ok but I've never seen any on a later model one like yours, which has a bolt in bearing unit I think? 

I'd be making sure you really want spindles, as they are quite pricey, plus cert, plus bump steer check, plus they can open up a can of worms as far as tyre clearance etc 

I have had customers fit drop spindles because they wanted a 50mm drop but it ends up with a whole new set of problems, like the tyres can now go 50mm further up so rub on big bumps, or the spindles change the track slightly so the tyres stick out, need geometry correction to pass bump steer check, rims rub on suspension arms , bla bla bla  

Some of the earlier trucks are actually better off with just a spring drop if you don't want it slammed as it gets the geometry better ie the control arms are flatter 

Good advice. Yes my truck has the bolt in bearing unit. 

I like the stance of the truck as it is, not so keen on the not legal lack of travel. 

I think I will start with some new springs and go from there.

20 minutes ago, cletus said:

None of them are pre approved , all have to have a bump steer check done 

Thanks Clint

That would be a baseline for the vehicle and then a recheck with the new stubs? Was there any issue with the belltech ones?

My 2000 Silverado has lowered front springs that have sagged to the point that it is just about sitting on the bump stops. I was looking at @cletus thread for his truck and it used lowered springs plus lowered spindles.

My question is are there lowered spindles that are type approved or will I have to go through a toe test? 

54 minutes ago, RUNAMUCK said:

Question for those who have played with rust removal via electrolosis.

Do you thing it would work for an engine bore that was rusty A.F/seized?

Fill the cylinder with washing soda enhanced water, susoend the cathode in the cylinder, and hook up tge block and cathode to a 180A arc welder. 

Surely that would boil the rust off the bore walls quick snap?

Got a big, ugly in line 6 that sat with the plugs out for a loooong time. Havent pulled the head yet. But its seized hard enough that an attempt to tow it free blew the clutch.  Worth noting its big, heavy and ugly enough that removing the engine will be an ordeal. (Let along handling it once its out)

The go to for this type of thing has been a mix of Diesel and Auto Trans fluid. Try mixing 50/50 and fill the cylinder. Let it soak for a good long time. 

On 28/11/2023 at 16:15, SOHC said:

Its just for the adapter plate witch bolts to the flywheel to attach the UJ for a jet boat, I could slot one hole 

I have both 308 and 350 chev flex plates in the garage. The bolt pattern for the crank looks the same, so you should be right. I don't believe that GM changed the bolt pattern on the 305.

The flex plates are different, the offset is changed other wise the same.